‘Phantom’ superbugs - a silent killer

2 Jun 2014

University of Queensland researchers have discovered antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the Middle East which is cloaking itself in genetic material to avoid detection and placing the population at increased risk of deadly infections.

With the Middle East an increasingly popular destination for medical tourism and international workers seeking high-paying jobs, researchers warn the hard-to-detect superbugs may quickly spread beyond the region and emerge worldwide.

Researcher Hosam Mamoon Zowawi, from the UQ Centre for Clinical Research, said the ‘phantom’ superbugs were found during a region-wide collaborative study on superbugs in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.